High Hopes Stamps - Bunny Family

Howdy - 

The new High Hopes Stamps August release has some adorable images, and this image of "Bunny Family" has so many uses! 

Now it is over 100 degrees while coloring, and I was thinking of cooler temperatures, green grass and well.. SPRING. I love spring and around here we have lots of bunnies hoping around the farm. I always assume they are from one large family, so seeing this Bunny Family I just had to color them up to look like the cute little cotton tails around here. 

Colored with my Copics (colors below) and then matched up a sparkle paper from My Minds Eye. It has heavy glitter to it, love that! For my sentiment I found the High Hopes sentiment "Say Spring?" I know my ears perk up and get happy when I hear "Spring!" I punched out the sentiment with a very old EK Success ticket punch, then used a Copic around the edge to create a faux border for the ticket. 

Copic colors used - 

There are so many fabulous new images in High Hopes Stamps August 2020 release! To go along with will their great collection!! 

Have a blessed day - 

Animal Crackers - Handsome Smiling Donkey

Howdy - 

Decided this week to start off with my Handsome Smiling Donkey - My Man Raphael "Raffi

He is so handsome right? Such a sweet guy too! The inspiration for the name of not only my blog, but our business. he is famous! Ok in my little world he is famous - a very well loved! 

Peso was making his high pitch pay attention to me noise... and he just was posing too perfect for a portrait. 

Ok, he is stinky ... but handsome too! And I love his grin! 

Now beautiful... I think this is one of the top three sweetest girls we have. 

Crissy has always been super sweet, friendly and calm. Calm is a rare thing in goats you know... LOL 

Miss Ellie Mae - one of our original donkeys purchased YEARS ago. She never could get pregnant but her personality has made her very special in our hearts. 

She has a voice all her own, and loves to call out when she sees one of us. Beautiful!

Fancy Pants... another of the older ladies. She is a protector... 

We use to have her in with other ladies when they are breeding but she... well... she would "protect" her girlfriends and run off and kick the men. We learned that she has some issues and needs to stay at all times in the ladies pen. LOL GIRL POWER! 

Ending off today is another protector... Big Girl Juliet - 

She must have been really hungry for her breakfast... 99% of the time she is front and center for attention, but when out taking photos this last week... she barely acknowledged me... I did get a look and nod. I think this was a "come back in a bit ok?" 

Hope you have a smile from my fur children. And I hope you and your family are safe and blessed this weekend. 

HUGS and -

High Hopes Stamps - Dreamy Dragon

Howdy - 

How can you not love a a sweet "Dreamy Dragon" this cute? He is from the new release at High Hopes Stamps. Adorable! 

Used Copics (colors below) and pencils to color up this cutie. Went with light pastel colors as he is so cute and all. And for added fun Nuvo sparkles so he shines and has bling. And since this felt like it needed more sparkle I found papers from Paper Studios that has lots of sparkle to it. All the layers are sewn down and then the High Hopes Stamps sentiment "Lg. Fancy Happy Birthday" 

Copic colors used - 

Fun bright card for anyone's birthday. For LOTS of great images to play with! Click HERE to get there fast and find lots to color! 

Hope you enjoyed! 

and have a blessed day!

HUGS and 

Animal Crackers - Momma's Boy

Howdy - 

I know I have told you all  many times about our standard "baby" Valentine. 

He is a big time Momma's boy. He was blessing for us when we purchased Cocoa his Momma as a friend for Ted. She was pregnant already so a big bonus baby for us. This guy is seriously attached to his Mom. She loves to hide from him, and he will have a full out panic attack and run all over kicking, screaming and calling out to her and the entire time she will be deep in a line of bushes or trees watching him. So sad, we have to go out and find her and show him where she is. Big tears.. then he calms down and all is good in the world. You would think he was "young" but he actually is 15 years old! 

Found this the other day... a real photograph of the day Valentine was born... So cute! 

Momma Cocoa is starting to show her age...  really starting to show lots of grey in her deep red coat. 

We have no idea how old Cocoa is, we purchased her as a rescue donkey, there was no information with her. When going to see all the donkeys they were trying to sell and find homes for, Cocoa walked right up to us, her eyes were big and sad and it was as if she was asking to come home with us. She was super timid once we got home, I don't think she was treated very well early in her life. But she has filled our hearts and become the leader around her. She has her days where she is very sweet and lets you love all over her..... then her days where she just doesn't feel like any attention. Thats ok... we love her no matter what. 

Ted has gotten really grey... he is now just over 18 I think. The personality and greeter around here. He usually is found following Cocoa and Valentine where ever they are roaming. But if he gets board or sees anything that might interest him... he will wander off and be his own man. 

The three standards have the property to roam. They can go around most all the miniature donkey pens and goat pens. It is like they oversee everyone and make sure all is well here. 

Now if you have been reading my Saturday Animal Cracker post very long you know Hubby LOVES to take photos of bugs, beetles, birds, snakes... what ever - he loves nature. Well he got a spooky one this week! We find these ladies quite often actually, but not one that was so nicely posed upside down to show off her trademark! 

She is a big girl too! Glad he snapped this one to show me and didn't call me to visit in person! 

Ok to end on a fun note... you seemed to enjoy seeing my life size antique Rocking Rosie last week so I thought I would show off another favorite! 

This is two of my antique pull toy donkeys! The yellow one was called Maude the kicking donkey, the red and grey one is Jack the Kicking Donkey. Both are by All Fair Toys. Mid 1920's, this was before Fisher Price. I love them, they are approaching 100 years old and when you pull them the buck and do a little kick. I was thrilled to find them both in such good condition. They sit in my display cabinet and make me smile when I see them. Kids need toys like this today! But I guess if doesn't have batteries and do something it isn't for them now a days is it? Oh well... they still make me happy! 

Hope you got a smile this week, and that you and your family are safe! 

Have a blessed weekend - 

HUGS and

High Hopes Stamps - Gnome and Snowman Friend

Howdy, 

Cooling off from the summer heat by coloring up a snowman! One of the new August Release image from High Hopes Stamps is the cutest "Gnome and Snowman Friend" 

Used my Copics (colors below) and pencils to color up my new friends. For some reason I went more country than traditional holiday winter colors. But I guess Gnomes have to dress year round right? I sewed down my image to a piece of kraft card stock and found papers from My Minds Eye to use and sew down on the same kraft card stock base. I like how the darker colors make the snowman pop a bit! For the sentiment I found a PERFECT sentiment - High Hopes Stamps "Work of Art"  Love this one with my snowman images ... it has heart! 

Copic colors used - filled my cup this time! Had lots of fun coloring! 

It is so fun to have new images to play with! And High Hopes Stamps have had some great ones... to see this newest release pop over HERE and you will find lots to fall in love with! 

Hope you enjoyed - 

and have a blessed day! 

HUGS and 

Animal Crackers - Summer Cleaning.

Howdy 

What a week! Hubby and I have finally been doing some major "Summer", "lockdown" or late "Spring" cleaning! Now this was not a good week to have a bum shoulder, but Hubby has been amazing and doing 99% of anything that requires any major movement. "We" have been moving out the mass of boxes of our business junk out, moving furniture and cleaning even doing the windows, washing and ironing curtains! This place hasn't been this clean in a long long time! Feel so fabulous! Now it takes a big mess to do this kind of cleaning and we have had to really keep a watch and make sure Libbie was safe and secure in things. 

My poor old little girl... Totally blind, and now she is having issues with her hips. She hobbles and has trouble on the back steps. I totally understand. But other than that she is still doing pretty good and is in total control. She has barked at us more than once about the house in such disorder and things in her way. But we have just made sure that the paths from her bed in the front of the house (she has another in the bedroom, don't we all wish we had that!) the paths from the door, food, water and her bed have been pretty close to open. If not she barks and lets us know to move something. 

I went out to love on the young donkeys... can't say babies anymore they are growing up so fast! I wasn't too sure I was going in towards Big Al.... 

You see the boy has issues with putting his head "behind" his Mom when she is doing her business and well.... getting his head wet. I did not want to get head butted or rubbed on if this was the issue... But upon close look he and Josie must have been playing too close to the water bucket and they both had water all over them. Or it was so hot they just did some dunking for each other! I was just glad I could go in and love on them! 

Lacey tried to tell me it isn't her fault when Big Al puts his head where it shouldn't be! 

She is such a good Momma... but with a teenage boy she does have her patience tested! 

As I was coming out of the Momma pen, Chloe was asking to chat. She loves when we talk to her. I really think she understands me... 

Very few people do understand me... I am glad Chloe seems to. She is a pretty old lady!

Got a call for some hay bales being cut from the man we get all our hay from yesterday afternoon. And this time of year we take all we can get! So late yesterday afternoon... 

He is such a hard worker for me and all out "children" Love him! 

Now that we have been cleaning and moving things around we are able to move out one of my all time favorite donkey collectibles... I missed her being out and really visible. 

This is Rocking Rosie. A full size miniature donkey rocking "donkey". We bought her years back from an Antique shop. The information was that she was a Macey Store Window Decoration from the mid 1940's. She is amazing. We got her not long after we lost a young donkey that was born sickly and had all kinds of health issues... and since she looks so much like our beloved Rosie... this Rocking Donkey became known as "Rocking Rosie" I love it! 

I hope you enjoyed today and got a smile. It is so hard to get good photos the middle of August.. Texas heat effects everyone here! Especially me.. LOL 

Have a blessed weekend - 

HUGS and 

High Hopes Stamps - Butterfly Chick

Howdy - 

August 2020 New Release at High Hopes Stamps! Another great group of new stamps to play with! This week I used Butterfly Chick! How adorable is this little guy! 

Cute right? I colored with my Copics (colors below) then added a little pencil shadowing. I found some glittering papers from Imaginisce love the sparkle to them. I sewed the layers together with a fun zig zag stitch and then added my image and sentiment also from High Hopes Stamp "Happy Bird Day!" sewn down with a straight stitch. I was going to add flowers or something more, but it just felt finished and I loved seeing all the sparkle to the paper... sorry it isn't showing in my photo for you. 

Copic colors used - 

There are more great images in this release to see!! Click HERE to jump over fast! 

Have a blessed day - 

HUGS and 

Animal Crackers - It takes Cooperation

Howdy - 

Some days they cooperate...some days they don't. I think I took 50 photos yesterday and honestly most of them just were deleted. I have no idea why but Chica just looked sleepy and sad. As soon as she stood up she was running around Happy barking Chica... posing for me... NADA! 

But there are some times I guess you just don't feel like posing and being your adorable sweet little face. This one cracks me up Her eyes look like "Mom, I am really not liking this today." 

Then I went on to get photos of Autie - he got his mid summer haircut. Now I do our own doggie cuts here. They are not professional, and depending on Autie's mood and mine, they can be ok, or a bit ragged. But what matters is he feels better. His fur is SO thick, not like Libbie and Chica's thin long flowing fur. 

But he refused to look  at me for his photo.. He just laid there posed in the sun turning his head and closing his eyes. And it wasn't a bad haircut this time! So he wasn't embarrassed - Maybe it is that he is looking so grey? We are all doing that boy... 

Then I turned and saw Lizzy standing at the fence. She seemed to want to have her photo taken. 

Pretty girl isn't she. I think we may see about breeding her this year. Waiting for the heat to end before we do that though.. right now that seems a ways off it is brutal! 

A Sweet Friend (more like family) took this photo. I LOVE it. Kristen is a great photographer, and this one just melts my heart - she captured some personality here... 

Patti, Vicki and Pavo watching "Dad" get hay out... was it going to be for them? Love the look in Vicki's eye... LOL Better be for us! 

These boys... sigh they are such an awesome sight when coming home through our gate. But I think this Pandemic that has effected us all in our normal life might be effecting them too... 

You see... we before this crazy 2020 year, we ate out at least once a week... shhhh sometimes more. And many of those times was our favorite Mexican food place, when leaving we each get our peppermints. And they then come home with us for when we come through the gate. They LOVE peppermints. Guess we are going to have to buy some mints at the store this week, as they are trying to figure out why we never bring them to them anymore. All though from this shot Flavio really doesn't need any candy... I tried the big boned, water weight, short legs reasons with him, but honestly he is just really got a belly on him. LOL I am right there with you Flavio, can't fault you until I take a look at myself boy! Sigh I miss eating out... mmmm Mexican Food! Ha! 

Hope you all are safe, healthy and doing good. And hope my fur children gave you a smile this week! 

HUGS and 

High Hopes Stamps - Dreamy Willa

Howdy -

Love these new images from High Hopes Stamps! This is Dreamy Willa - so sweet!

Willa is such a sweet mouse! I love her! I colored with my Copics (colors below) and did shading with pencils. My papers are from Farmers Market - with a border punch from Martha Stewart. I sewed all they layers down with a straight stitch and placed everything on a white card stock base. The sentiment "Friends are We" is just perfect for the image - 

Copic markers used - 

Have you seen all the new images at High Hopes Stamps? To pop over quick click HERE and fall in love with them all! 

Hope you enjoyed - 

HUGS and 

Animal Crackers - Sleepy Time

Howdy 

Went out early yesterday morning. Boy it was nice outside! Nice breeze and lots of clouds. The heat will be coming this afternoon, but we were all enjoying the wonderful morning. Seems Crissy and Jennifer were especially enjoying it... 

These two were not having a nice little nap.. they were out! LOL I called out to them to see if they would look up at me for a photo, but nope they were SOUND ASLEEP! If I had a hammock I might have joined them! As I said it was really nice outside. 

And then there were some of the other girls... having a little breakfast in bed. Or breakfast as bed? LOL

They are funny aren't they? Love Olive Oyl in the front turned looking at me like she is. HA! 

As I passed by the young boys pen, Domino was chatting to get my attention for some head scratches. So I gave in and made sure he got his scratches. 

Of course I have to choose carefully where to scratch to miss the sticky nasty yellow spots on him... ewe... 

Across from the boy goats pen is Hubby's Cat House... we only have three kitties now in his house. I found one of them inside the house getting ready to climb in his bed in the window. Yes they are spoiled kitties... LOL 

I would like to give you a for sure on if this is Fraidy or Scaredy Cat... but from a distance I honestly have no clue! Heck close up I am not sure either. They are carbon copies of each other, and since I have never bonded with holding either of these kitties, this photo from a distance is as close as I get. And that is how they got their names! 

Went to love on the babies and their Moms. With the nice weather and breeze Big Al was being a bit spunky! Hanna wasn't wanting it... she was trying to get a little milk from Mom... but Big Al... nope he was really being a pest! Little Boys you know... 

And then Hanna had enough... 

Oh my I could sit and watch all these babies all day! They do bring lots of joy! 

Hope you got a little joy from them today - smiles!

HUGS and